We'll Figure It Out
by Catalina Leigh
Summary: John makes a quick trip back to Earth when Cam gets a visitor, and they have to make some decisions about what happens next.
1. Figuring It Out

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. :(**

**A/N: I know it's been forever since I posted stuff, but I promise I am working on stuff! They're just bigger projects and I don't want to post until they're done. This was actually just a little something I wrote a while back when I was taking a break from another project and just started free writing. Originally, I was gonna have the epilogue be longer, but then I realized if I put everything I thought of in it, it'd be it's own story lol. So, I decided to post as is so you can read. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty."

There was a groan from the mound of pillows and blankets on the couch that Cam had smacked as he passed by on his way into the kitchen.

"You hungry?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee, watching as she slowly disentangled herself from the cocoon she'd made.

She blinked at him a few times, but he noticed where her eyes went.

Chuckling — and wisely not commenting or making comparisons on the mess that was her hair — he slid a coffee mug across the island counter and filled it up.

Grunting her thanks as she slid onto the stool, she watched him move about the kitchen while she sipped the coffee.

Cam grinned as he finished pulling out the supplies. "Breakfast?"

She smirked at the box of Cocoa Puffs he held up.

He took that as a yes, and began pouring them both a bowl.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before she paused and looked up at him. "Hey, Cam…Thanks."

Her voice was soft, and he smiled. "Come on. You know you're welcome here anytime, Quinn."

She smiled back.

Cam took a long breath before he spoke next. "Speaking of…" He ignored the way she tensed. "I managed to set up a call to Sam today."

"You think —" She cut herself off, never looking up at him, just stirring the last remnants of her cereal around in the bowl.

He dumped his own bowl in the sink as he sighed. "I think…" he started as he came around the island. "That we'll figure it out."

She nodded, but didn't reply or look up.

Looping an arm around her shoulder to pull her into a side hug, Cam kissed the top of her head. "I gotta get to work. But I'll let you know how it goes when I get back. In the meantime, just work on homework or whatever it is teenagers do."

That got a chuckle out of her as he went to grab his bag and keys.

"Just don't beat my high scores on the PlayStation," he threw out as he headed to the door.

"Where's the fun in that?" she retorted, smirking at him.

Cam rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he was smirking.

—

"Hey, Cam," Sam greeted with a smile.

Cam smiled back at the monitor. "Hey yourself. How's life in Pegasus?"

"Not too bad." She was giving him a knowing look. "So, what's going on?"

"What? Can't a guy just call a friend to say hi?" He was grinning, but she raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked, shrugging. "Guess I just realized I hadn't talked to you or Sheppard lately, so I figured now was as good a time as any."

Other than a small twitch of her eyebrows, Sam didn't move. Her eyes glanced off screen for a moment, then she looked back and smiled as John walked into the view of the camera. "Yeah, makes sense."

"Hey, Mitchell."

Cam returned the other man's nod of greeting with one of his own. "Hey, Shep. Still got that lemon?"

While Cam was grinning, John managed to reign his in and only turned one corner of his mouth up. "Always."

Sam rolled her eyes at them.

Shrugging again, Cam kept his voice light when he spoke again. "See, I had this Q&A at breakfast, but it works better with you."

Now, Sam furrowed her brow at him, but John's eyes met his instantly.

"Yeah, you keep it short, or was it a long one?" John's voice was light too, but his eyes never left Cam.

"Kept it pretty short," Cam returned easily. "But ya know, I was thinking about a road trip. Kinda like that one we took on that long weekend last year, remember?"

John nodded. "Yeah."

"Anybody going with you?" Sam asked. Her voice was light and casual as well.

"Nah," Cam shook his head. "Teal'c's visiting his son, and Daniel and Vala are off at some museum."

Nodding, Sam's expression was thoughtful as she turned to John. "Ya know, I'm pretty sure you have some leave — if you wanted to take a few days off."

John finally took his eyes off Cam and glanced at his commanding officer. Turning a corner of his mouth up in a half-smile, he gave her a nod. "Thanks, Carter, that actually sounds like a good idea. What do you say, Mitchell?"

Cam smirked. "I say I've got a case of beer with our names on it."

—

"Well, I have to say this is a surprise, Colonel," Landry commented as the Stargate shut down behind John, who was walking down the ramp.

John shrugged. "Well, as Carter pointed out, I have some leave, and I couldn't let Mitchell go off on his own." He threw a smirk at Cam, who was attempting to keep a straight face.

The general nodded slowly. "Riiight. Something about a road trip?" He looked back and forth between the two colonels, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, Sir. Figured it'd be a good use of the days off you gave me." Cam was grinning.

Landry raised his eyebrows. "I did?"

"Yes, Sir. You signed the papers yesterday."

While Landry frowned at Walter, Cam gave the man a smile. Turning to John, he nodded toward the door. "Come on, Sheppard, let's get you through medical so we can blow this popsicle stand."

As the two walked out, Landry's eyes had narrowed, and he glanced at Walter, whose smile faltered under the scrutiny and he excused himself as well.

—

When Cam got back to his apartment, he found Quinn on the couch — still in pajama pants, but wearing his Air Force hoodie. Her attention was focused on the TV screen and the video game she was playing.

She knew he was there though. "Relax, Cam, your high scores are safe."

"Now, where's the fun in that?"

Quinn's head snapped over to see John smirking. It took a moment, but she turned back to pause the game and then was up and across the room before Cam could blink.

John caught her with ease when she threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest.

The soft smile on his friend's face as he hugged the teenager back, resting his chin on top of her head, made Cam smile as well. But he also saw the uncertainty in John's eyes. Nodding toward the back of the apartment, Cam dropped his keys on the counter and started walking toward his bedroom. "I'm gonna get changed, then we can figure out dinner."

John nodded his thanks, but never released his hold on Quinn.

"You're here." Her words were just a whisper, not spoken until after Cam's door shut behind him. "How are you here?"

Sighing, John kissed the top of her head. "I'm here, kiddo." He pulled back a little to look her in the eyes before he asked, "Wanna tell me what you're doing here?"

And just like that she was pulling away and walking back over to the couch like nothing had happened.

Running a hand through his hair, John took a breath. "Quinn…"

"I thought you were supposed to be on your base at the ass end of nowhere?" Her voice was casual, but the way she tucked one leg under her and hugged the other one to her chest gave her away.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "You know I can't —"

"Can't talk about it," she finished with a wry smile. "Right."

Exhaling, he gave her a pointed look. "Does your mom know where you are?"

Rolling her eyes, she picked up the PlayStation controller. "She doesn't care."

"Doesn't care or doesn't know?" He raised an eyebrow, but she wasn't looking at him. He still counted it as a win since at least she was turning the game off.

She shrugged. "Both?"

Her nonchalance answered more than one of his questions. Sighing heavily, he ran a hand over his face before joining her on the couch. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She was shrugging again, and up off the couch and headed into the kitchen.

John wanted to smirk. But instead of following her again, he let her keep the space between them, and simply turned on the couch so that he was now facing her, watching as she grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator. He shook his head when she offered one to him.

There was a few moments of silence as he watched her fiddle with the tab on the can before finally looking up and meeting his eyes again. "She's in Europe with her boyfriend."

It took effort, but John managed to keep his face impassive. However, the look in Quinn's eyes told him she still saw his thoughts on that. Rubbing the back of his neck, he closed his eyes for a second before looking back up at her. "Who were you staying with?"

She took a drink of the soda, but then looked in his direction, just not at him. "Aunt Melissa."

This time he did smirk, though it was dark. Nodding his understanding, he took a measured breath. "School?"

Looking down again, Quinn nodded, confirming his guess.

Standing, he walked over so that he was standing across the island counter from her. He waited until she looked up and met his eyes before he spoke. "We'll figure it out."

The corner of her mouth turned up in a half-smile.

Cam came out a minute later. "Hey. So…Are we going out or ordering in and doing a movie marathon?"

Quinn smirked, while John huffed out a chuckle. "Might as well go out." He shrugged, then gave a pointed look to the teenager. "But you're gonna have to change out of the pajamas."

She rolled her eyes, but began walking back to the bathroom anyway, grabbing her bag as she went.

After the door shut behind her, Cam watched John deflate and lean on the counter as his head dropped. "Hey." His voice was soft, but while John didn't look up, Cam knew he was listening. "She's fine. She came here."

Nodding slowly, John let out a long breath before meeting his friend's eyes. "Thanks, Cam."

Cam shrugged it off, trying to lighten the somber mood John's sincerity brought. "Like I told Quinn…She's welcome here anytime. You know I got your back, man."

The corner of John's mouth turned upward as he nodded.

"Speaking of…" Cam glanced back to make sure the bathroom door was still closed before he turned back to his friend. "I talked to the school." At John's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "I said I was an uncle on her dad's side."

"You are."

Cam grinned at John's easy confirmation, but then continued with a shrug. "Personally, I think they overreacted. Isn't there some loophole regarding family?" He shook his head. "Pretty sure her cousin probably deserved it."

John chuckled. "Melissa's kid? I guarantee it."

Cam chuckled too. Then he shrugged again. "They only suspended her for a few days. I'm guessing it was more —"

"Melissa and her husband's reactions," John finished with a nod. He pushed off the counter with a sigh. "Yeah." He ran both hands through his hair, glancing back at the bathroom door before turning his eyes to Cam. "What am I supposed to do here, Cam? I can't just stay on leave for god knows how long."

"Hey." Cam's firm tone stopped John's pacing before it could even start. Cam waited until his friend met his eyes before continuing. "We'll figure it out."

—

When Cam got back from picking up their breakfast, he found John off to the side of the apartment building. And if the expression on his face and the way he kept running a hand through his hair was any indication, he was definitely not having a good conversation with whoever was on the other end of the phone. Cam had a pretty good idea who it was too.

He waited until after John had flipped the phone shut — though looking like he was about to throw it — before he got out of the car and met his friend. "I take it Linda isn't cutting the trip with her boyfriend short?"

"Husband."

Cam raised an eyebrow. "What?"

John huffed and looked over at him, shaking his head. "They got married. About to head off on their honeymoon."

"You're kidding."

Shaking his head, John's hand twitched like he was about to throw the phone, but managed to shove it back in his pocket instead. He rubbed both hands across his face, sighing heavily as he leaned back against the building. "She said to just send Quinn back to Melissa."

Cam scoffed. "And what did Melissa say?"

John smirked. "She hung up on me as soon as she realized who was calling."

"Of course." Cam rolled his eyes, and moved over to lean back against the wall next to his friend. Lowering his voice, he glanced over. "Quinn know?"

Closing his eyes, John shook his head slowly. "She's still sleeping. I wanted to make the calls before she woke up."

Nodding, Cam watched John closely. "So…what are you gonna do?"

Leaning his head back and looking up at the sky, John's answer was mumbled. "I don't know."

—

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Nothing." Quinn's voice projected the casual nonchalance she was going for, but Cam smirked because the speed at which she'd shut the laptop gave her away.

He didn't say anything, just came over and sat down next to her.

She wisely didn't say anything or try to stop him when he opened the computer back up.

"Going somewhere?" Cam's voice was light, but there was an edge to his expression when he turned his head to look at her after seeing the Greyhound website she'd been looking at.

Looking down, she didn't answer, just shoved her hands in the front pocket of his Air Force hoodie — which he wasn't certain he was gonna get back at this point.

Sighing, Cam shut the laptop and glanced toward the bathroom, where the running water confirmed John was still in the shower. He turned back to the teenager who was trying to make herself smaller in the corner of the couch. "Talk to me, Quinn."

She shrugged. "Mom's not coming back anytime soon, which means I'm gonna have to stay with Aunt Melissa. Figured I needed to get back before I miss too much more school."

Cam just watched her for a moment, taking a long breath. "John tell you about the conversation with your mom?"

That got a smirk. "No." She shook her head. "But he always has the same look on his face after he talks to her, especially when she tells him stuff like that."

Nodding slowly, Cam reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look up at him. "We'll figure it out. No hasty decisions, OK?"

It took a minute, but she finally nodded, one corner of her mouth turning upward.

—

"Yello."

Cam had answered his phone without looking at the caller ID, which turned out to be a mistake when he heard the barked, "Mitchell! Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Freezing only momentarily, Cam looked back at John and Quinn, who were arguing over pasta sauce. He caught John's eyes though, and the other man nodded when Cam gestured with his phone indicating he needed to take the call.

Cam ignored the way his friend's eyes had narrowed in curiosity, and just made his way out of the store for a little privacy before replying to the general who'd called him.

"Sorry, Sir. What can I do for you?"

He could practically hear O'Neill rolling his eyes. "You can explain what the hell Sheppard is thinking."

Furrowing his brows, Cam felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. "Sir?"

"According to Hank, you two are supposed to be on a road trip. So, why is Sheppard asking questions about retirement?"

Closing his eyes, Cam leaned back against the building, running a hand through his hair.

O'Neill apparently understood the silence. Cam heard him sigh before the general spoke again, this time in a softer tone. "You two aren't on a road trip, are you?"

Not opening his eyes, Cam's reply was quiet. "No, Sir."

"Is Sheppard really thinking about quitting?" The tone was gentle, but the question was asked in a way that demanded an answer.

Knowing O'Neill was probably their best bet, Cam answered honestly. "I don't know, Sir." He opened his eyes quickly. "But, actually…I do have a question for you…"

—

A knock on the door had Cam and John glancing at each other with furrowed brows.

The reaction didn't go unnoticed by Quinn, who looked at both of them while pulling her knees up to her chest and sinking back into the couch.

John paused the game — one of many he had missed but Cam had recorded — while his friend got up and answered the door.

"Sir." Surprise was evident in Cam's voice as he stepped back while the general just walked on in without saying anything, just smirking.

Standing quickly, John's raised eyebrows gave away his confusion. "General O'Neill."

Jack nodded back. "Sheppard." Then he glanced over at Quinn, who was watching the scene play out with narrowed eyes. He smiled at the teenager. "You must be Quinn."

She glanced at John, who was glancing between her, Jack, and Cam.

Cam had rejoined them after shutting the door, his brows furrowed and moving slowly. "Uh…What are you doing here, Sir?"

Giving Cam a sideways glance, Jack motioned Quinn back down when she started to stand. "Relax, you can stay. This concerns you too." Ignoring all of their raised eyebrows, Jack pointed at John, holding the man's eyes and speaking firmly. "_You_ aren't quitting." Repeating the same with Cam, the general continued. "And the answer to your question is yes." Clapping his hands together, Jack nodded toward the TV. "So, who's playing?"

While John and Cam looked at each other, Quinn's eyes were on John. "You can't quit."

"That's what I just said." Jack's tone was light.

But John was still staring at Cam. "What question?"

Cam sighed, but his eyes never left his friend's. He shrugged. "When General O'Neill called to find out why you were looking into getting out…" Cam shrugged again. "I might have posed a hypothetical question."

Jack smirked. "Pretty sure it doesn't count as hypothetical, Mitchell." He waved a hand at Quinn. "She looks pretty real to me."

Quinn's brows furrowed, and now she was looking at Cam. "What question?"

The breath John let out told Cam he already knew. "Cam…You can't —"

"Why not?" Cam cut him off with a shrug. "I don't mind. It's a solution that doesn't involve you quitting, or having to deal with Melissa. And apparently it's not an issue with my job." He said the last part with a gesture to Jack, who shrugged.

"You're not actively deployed, and she's old enough to stay by herself if you're gone for a few days. You'd just have to find someone if you were gonna be gone for an extended period of time. But there's plenty of people around who can help out, myself included." He grinned. "Perks of being a general."

Now Quinn was staring at Cam. "Cam?" Her voice was small.

He didn't reply to her, just continued holding John's gaze. "Tell me I'm wrong."

John ran a hand through his hair and waited a moment before speaking. Casting a quick glance at Quinn, who was still watching attentively, he closed his eyes and took a breath before looking back at his friend. "Are you sure about this?" John's voice was quiet, but his eyes were speaking loud and clear.

The corner of Cam's mouth turned up in a smile. "We knew this day might come."

Sighing heavily, only the slow release of tension indicated Cam's reassurance was working. "That was a long time ago." The corner of John's mouth turned up in a dry smirk. "A lot's changed since then."

It was Cam's turn to sigh this time, but he still smiled. "Not this."

—

"Come in." John didn't look up to see who his visitor was, not until he heard the door to his quarters lock.

Sam was giving him a gentle smile. "How was your trip?"

Dropping the clothes he was pulling out of his bag, John let out a long breath. He kept his eyes down for a moment before finally looking up to meet her watchful gaze. "Honestly?" He sighed and dropped down onto the bed. "Part of me feels like I made the wrong decision." He continued even as she opened her mouth. "But another part of me doesn't think I could've given up Atlantis."

Sighing, Sam came over and sat next to him. "Cam will take care of her."

The corner of mouth turned up in a half smile. "I know." His brows furrowed. "It's just…"

"It doesn't make you a bad parent." Her voice was soft, but firm. Sam smiled when John turned to look at her. "You're doing your job. Quinn knows that."

Huffing out a short chuckle, John nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Sam gave him a side hug. "She'll be fine, John."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this longer oneshot! I do have an epilogue as well :) This takes place circa season 4 of Atlantis, so the epilogue will take place post-season 5, after the city is on Earth. As always, reviews are appreciated!**


	2. One Year Later

**A/N: Alright, so I wanted to add a little more as a follow up to the previous little story. Enjoy!**

* * *

_One year later…_

"Hey. What are you guys doing here?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Colonel."

John opened his mouth to retort when Vala took it upon herself to explain. "The talkative one found out we were all going out to eat and invited himself along. Ronon and Teyla were kind enough to join so we don't kill him."

She was grinning by the end, which caused Rodney to stare at her with wide eyes and had Ronon grinning as well. Teyla rolled her eyes at them and looked at John, who was still standing even though Sam had already taken a seat next to Daniel. "I hope that's alright, John."

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, no, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting you."

"I thought Colonel Mitchell was coming too?"

Sam was the one who answered Jennifer's innocent question. "He's on his way."

"It appears as though they have already arrived." Teal'c nodded toward the restaurant's entrance where Cam was coming from.

"They?"

But Rodney's question was answered when Quinn was the first to reach the table. "You're back."

John was grinning as he wrapped his arms around her, returning the tight hug she'd enveloped him in. "I'm back, kiddo." He kissed the top of her head before she pulled back and smiled at him.

"For how long?" Her smile turned wry. "Let me guess…Can't talk about it?"

Chuckling, he rolled his eyes. "No…I just don't know yet." He smirked at her. "But I am probably gonna have to head to Washington for meetings, if you wanna play hooky…"

Smirking back, she raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Not that she's excited to skip school." Cam managed to say it with a straight face as he slid into the seat next to Sam.

"No, of course not."

Quinn rolled her eyes at both John and Cam as they shared a smirk while John and Quinn took the remaining seats.

"Um…I'm sorry, who is this?"

Vala's exaggerated eye roll made it clear she hadn't been joking when she said Teyla and Ronon were there to help save Rodney.

But John took a steadying breath, even as Quinn was trying to hide her smirk. "Right. Let me make introductions. Quinn…This is Dr. Jennifer Keller and Dr. Rodney McKay." He rolled his eyes when Rodney opened his mouth. "_Different_ kinds of doctors though." The scientist looked only slightly appeased, but John continued. "Teyla Emmagan and her son Torren. And Ronon Dex."

Giving them a small wave, Quinn smiled. "Hi."

"Guys…This is Quinn…" John's pause was only momentary. "My daughter."

Jennifer's eyes widened almost comically. Teyla raised an eyebrow. Ronon just gave Quinn a nod. Rodney, however, started spluttering. "Your daughter?!"

Teyla, on the other hand, spoke calmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Quinn." Then turning to her team leader added, "We were unaware that you had a child, John."

Clearing his throat, John rubbed the back of his neck, but didn't get a chance to speak before Rodney chimed in again.

Turning his attention to Quinn, Rodney demanded, "How old are you?!"

Quinn just raised her eyebrows. "Sixteen."

Rodney started spluttering again as he stared at John in a cross between disbelief and betrayal.

"Breathe, Rodney." Daniel managed to say it diplomatically, even if he did roll his eyes.

Ronon just leaned around Teyla to smack his teammate on the shoulder, which made Rodney yelp and Torren laugh.

Vala grinned. "Thank you, Ronon."

He grinned back.

Rodney furrowed his brows at the SG-1 members. "You all knew?!"

Sam and Daniel simply shrugged.

Teal'c bowed his head slightly. "Indeed."

Vala rolled her eyes. "Of course we knew."

Now Rodney glared at John. "You told them but you didn't tell us?!"

Rolling his eyes, John tried to keep his sniping to a minimum. "I didn't _tell_ them, McKay. Cam already knew."

"I found out as his commanding officer." Sam shrugged.

"We met Quinn Adams during a movie night." Teal'c's statement was simple and casual.

"Adams?" Jennifer wondered.

Quinn shrugged. "My mom's name." Her brows furrowed as she corrected herself. "Maiden name. Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

Vala held up a finger, her face scrunched up. "See…I don't understand that. Why would someone's name change just because they get married?"

"Beats me." Quinn shrugged and grabbed one of the rolls out of the basket on the table.

Daniel opened his mouth, but Sam placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head before he could start.

Teyla cleared her throat, and brought them back on topic. "Was this movie night while you were back on Earth, John?"

John shook his head. "I wasn't there."

Cam shrugged. "It was my turn to host. My apartment isn't that big. Can't exactly hide a teenager."

Teyla's brows furrowed. "I'm afraid I do not understand."

Though Quinn purposely took a bite of the roll, and John and Cam were sharing a look, it was Vala who explained. "Oh, Quinn lives with Cameron." She stated it matter-of-factly, in a light tone as she gestured for Quinn to pass the rolls.

Ronon just nodded, and grabbed a roll for himself. Jennifer kept opening and closing her mouth, without any words or coming out. Rodney was spluttering again.

Sam saw Teyla's continuing confusion and shrugged. "It's a complicated situation."

Nodding sagely, Teyla gave her a small smile of gratitude. "I see."

John shrugged. "It's a long story."

"You will have to tell it to us sometime."

Teyla's serene, but not up for debate, statement had Quinn choking back a laugh as John shifted in his seat, which earned her a glare from him.

"No, I wanna know why we never knew you had a sixteen year old daughter who's apparently living with Colonel Lemon Boy!" Rodney was leaning forward, and raising his eyebrows at John while waving his hands wildly at Quinn and Cam.

Snapping her fingers, Quinn pointed at Rodney with a grin. "Oh, right! You're the one who likes lemons. Don't worry, this place has great lemonade."

Cam had to hide his face behind his hand in an attempt to hide his laughter, but the way his body was shaking gave it away.

He wasn't the only one either. Sam was biting her lips, while Vala and Ronon were outright grinning. Daniel was adjusting his glasses with a sigh, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Teyla just sighed, and John was trying — and failing — to keep a straight face.

Jennifer had placed a hand on Rodney's shoulder in an attempt to calm him as his eyes widened and he glared at John. "Oh, she's _definitely_ your kid."

But John was looking at Cam. "You told her about the lemon?"

His voice was nonchalant, and Cam just shrugged, still grinning. "I may have mentioned the lemon."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little addition! I tried to keep this part more lighthearted since the previous part was a little more angsty. I did enjoy it though, and have more ideas for it, so I might add a follow-up or two later on... As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


End file.
